Allegiance | Kylo Ren

XXXIV

The girl drifted in and out of consciousness for the rest of the day. I tried to be around whenever she was awake, in case she needed some pain relievers or someone to talk to, which meant that I didn't shadow Mason as much as I usually did. He didn't mind; having me stationed at the girl's side meant that he was free to tend to the other patients without having to worry about checking in on her periodically.

She was awake now; her soft brown eyes were wandering around the medical wing, examining her surroundings. She seemed more relaxed now, and I wondered if the pain medications were helping.

"How are you feeling?" I kept my voice soft so as to avoid alarming her.

She turned her head slightly to look at me, giving me a once-over. I was stricken by how young she was; she couldn't have been older than fifteen.

"I'm okay, I think." She blinked. "I don't feel any pain... I just feel numb."

I nodded. "That would be the pain meds you're on. We'll reduce your dosage little by little so we can better assess your healing as time goes on."

"Who are you?" She was watching me with a curious expression.

"Calia." I gave her a soft smile.

"Are you a doctor like Mason?"

I shook my head. "I just help out from time to time. I'm actually a trooper, like you."

Her eyes widened. "Are you allowed to be here? Without armor?"

I shrugged. "I actually don't know. I was never told I wasn't, so I'll keep coming here until I am."

A slight frown creased her youthful features. "That's strange. I'd think Captain Phasma wouldn't like you coming here."

I gave her a wry smile, a very plausible explanation for my lack of discipline lingering in the back of my mind. I pushed it away. "What's your name?"

"ML-1614." She replied proudly. "I'm due to graduate from training in two days."

I raised an eyebrow. "So soon?"

She nodded cheerfully. "They're lowering the graduating age to sixteen, which means I'll be promoted the day after my birthday, which is tomorrow."

I fought to keep my disapproval off my face. "Congratulations."

"Thanks." She grinned, but then her smile faltered. "If you're a trooper, why don't you go by your code?"

I pressed my lips together. "Because I don't want to."

"Calia." She spoke my name as if she were tasting it. "It's a nice name. How did you get it?"

"I—" I caught myself almost telling her the truth. "I came up with it. My code was CL-1823, so it wasn't hard to create something from that."

"I'd like to have a name, too." Her eyes drifted away from me and seemed to stare sightlessly across the room.

"What would it be?" I gave a small smile as I watched her.

She shrugged. "I don't know very many names. Phasma, Hux, Mason... I like your name, Calia. Maybe I'll steal it."

I met her teasing grin. "No, you should have your own name. Use your code to come up with something original, like I did."

She blinked. "My code is ML... So... Malia?"

I couldn't bite back a laugh. "That's creative."

She giggled. "But I like it. Malia. It's like Calia, but different."

I stood, patting her on the leg. "Alright, Malia. Get some rest, and I'll check up on you later, okay?"

She gave a mischievous smile. "Okay, Calia."

I looked around, scanning the hospital wing for my favorite doctor. I spotted him near the back, scribbling something on a clipboard with a focused frown on his face. A small smile made its way across my face at his concentration—he was devoted to his job, and I loved him for it. My smile faltered at the thought.

Do I love him?

He seemed to sense my eyes on him, and he glanced up, flashing a grin my way as his green eyes met mine. I returned the smile, feeling a fluttering feeling in my chest.

Yes, I think I do.

He began to make his way towards me, tucking the clipboard under his arm.

"Do you have nothing better to do than admire me from across the room?" He teased.

I felt my cheeks burn, but I giggled. "I can't help it. You're too handsome, it's distracting."

He gave a breathless laugh and pressed a quick kiss to my forehead, pulling me in for a hug with his free arm. I took the opportunity to breathe in the familiar scent of his shirt, the fluttering feeling returning. The words bubbled at my lips, and I swallowed nervously before letting them escape in the form of a whisper.

"I love you."

Mason seemed to jump a bit as his ears caught what I had said. He looked down at me with wide green eyes, speechless for a moment before a wide grin spread across his face.

"You do?"

I nodded feverishly, biting my lip as I waited for him to speak. He didn't. Instead, he wrapped both arms around me tightly and kissed me passionately, apparently trying to convey his feelings through action instead of spoken word.

When we finally pulled apart, he was still smiling broadly. "I love you too, Cal."

The fluttering feeling vanished at his words. I felt as if the sun was inside my ribcage, spreading warmth throughout every inch of my body. 

He gazed down at me with warmth in his green eyes, chewing his lip for a moment before grinning and shaking his head slightly. "How did I get so lucky to have you?"

I blushed at his words, unable to keep myself from smiling. For the first time in what seemed to be a long time, I was undeniably and entirely happy.